Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. 0. 110mm.

(JAR COUPLING. No. 327,869. Patented 0013.6, 1885 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOSEPH O. DOERR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.'327,869, dated October6, 1885.

Application filed November 28, 1884. Serial No. 149,035. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH 0. Donnie, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inOar-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

Figure l is a side view showing two drawbars coupled together, withparts of the buffers broken out to show the heads of the coupling-hooks.Fig. 2 is part in side View and part in vertical longitudinal section at22,Fig. 3, showing the coupling -h0oks disengaged. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section at 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view with partsbroken out, showing the hooks uncoupled. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailshowing part of the uncouplingshaft with its operating-lever (as usedupon box-cars.)

The car-bodies are shown at A, and the drafttimbers, to which thedraw-bars are secured, at B. The body of the draw-bar is shown at O.This is secured to the draft-timbers byatransverse horizontalbolt,D,traversing the timbers B and the draw-bar C, so that the partsare rigidly connected. The rear or inner end of the draw-bar 0 consistsof a neck, 0, upon which is a spiral spring, E, whose inner end bearsagainst a plate, F, secured to the rear end of the neck by a bolt, G,passing axially through the same, and a nut, G, on the bolt. The outerend of the spiral spring bears against the inner end of a buffer, H,that is capable of endwise movement on the draw-bar,being slotted at hto allow the passage of the bolt D.

The coupling-hook I is hinged to the outer end of the draw'bar O by apintle-bolt, K, to which the hook is rigidly connected by a pin, 1;,passing through the hook I and the bolt K. The pintle-bolt K passesthrough slot h in the buffer. The pintle-bolt has an arm, K, by whichthe bolt may be turned and the coupling-hook thrown up to disengage itfrom a similar hook upon the other car.

L is a hook or pin, cast or otherwise formed on the side of the bufferand preventing the upward and inward movement of the arm K when thebuffer is in its advanced position. (See Fig. 4:.) Thus it will be seenthat when the arm K is thrown upward and backward (to disengage thecoupling-hooks) the buffer is moved inward against the pressure of thespring E, and thus it will be seen that the spring and the inertia ofthe buffer both act to prevent the coupling-hook from being thrown upinto disengaging position.

It will be understood that the arrow-heads I of the coupling-hooksengage whichever of the hooks is on top, and that to uncouple the hooksthe upper one is thrown up, the under one being allowed to remain atrest.

At the end of the pintle-bolt K is a transverse hole, in which is a rod,M, having sufficient length to extend, when raised, to a pin or book, N,upon the side of the buffer of the next car. (See Fig. 2.) When the rodM is engaged on the hook or pin N. the couplinghook with which it isconnected is lifted out of engagement with the other coupling-hook, sothat the cars can be drawn asunder. This separation of the cars drawsthe end of the rod M off the hook N and allows the coupling-hook todescend into coupling position as soon as the heads I are separated, sothat they will not engage each other.

It will be observed that the heads I of the coupling-hooks end in acurved horizontal edge, P, so that either the one or the other willmount on top when the hooks come together, whether the draw-bars mayincline to each other or not. In this connection I would say that if theedge I should be straight and the draw-bars, one or both, transverselyinclined, the edges I of the two coupling-hooks might cross each otherand so fail to slip past, thus failing to couple, and being bent orbroken where the cars are approaching with usual momentum. Thesedifficulties it is evident would not be present where the head fallsback in all directions from a central point, a.

O is a chain connected to the end of the arm K and secured to thehand-shaft P, the arrangement being such that when the shaft is turnedthe chain is wound upon the shaft and draws the arm K upward andbackward into the position shown at X, Fig. 4. When the parts are inthis position, the free end q of a rod, Q, hinged to the top of thehand-shaft, may be made to engage with a pin or hook, R,

upon the adjoining car, so that the separation of thecars shall draw thefree end of the rod Q from its engagement with the hook R andis releasedfrom its connection with the adj oining car, it falls into a verticalposition, as seen at X, Fig. 4, and at the same time the coupling-hookattains aposition for automatic coupling with another hook on theapproach of the cars.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of draw bar having hingedcoupling-hook anda spring-buffer movable on the draw-bar,and havingbearing upon an arm of the coupling-hook to holdit in engagement withthe coupling-hook of the other car.

2. A car-coupling hook constructed to automatically couple with asimilar hook of an approaching car and a rod or equivalent deviceconstructed to retain the hook in uncoupling position by engagement withthe adjoining car.

3. The combination of the coupling-hook working in a vertical plane andan arm extending from the pivot-bolt of the couplinghook engaged byaprojection of abufferworking on the draw-bars, and aspring forcing thebuffer-projection against the arm of the coupling-hook, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination,with the pintle fixed to a gravitating coupling-hook,of an arm or rod upon said pintle constructed to engage with an adjoining car directly or through intermediate mechanism, for the purposeset forth.

5. In a car-coupling, an automatic couplinghook and suitable mechanismextending from the coupling-hook and engaging with the adjoining car andconstructed to hold the coupling-hook out of engagement with thecoupling device of the adjoining car.

JOSEPH O. DOERR.

In presence of- GEO. H. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT.

